The Stars in Your Eyes
by WickedScribbles
Summary: After that first kiss on the cheek, Steven and Connie both can't help but want more. And doesn't Steven deserve a little time to be a normal teenager? Beach City can be pretty romantic when it's not being destroyed by hostile gems. Takes place after the movie, before Steven Universe Future. Not a ton of plot, but some lemon and romance. If that's your thing, click away! Connverse.


It was strange, he thought, the number of mundane things he'd had yet to experience, and how many abnormal things he'd done in their stead. How many sixteen-year-olds had established peace across the galaxy? Or faced life and death? Even encountered alien life forms? (Let alone, _was_ half an alien life form.) But that was a long enough story on its own-one Steven had tired of retelling. He had done all of this, so much more, but had never been alone with Connie Maheswaran in his bedroom.

Not that he knew the standard protocol for what other teenagers were allowed with their girlfriends at this age, and it was far too embarrassing to ask Lars, Sadie, or one of his other human friends about. And Steven was _not _about to ask his father. That was just a slippery slope of humiliating conversations waiting to happen. It's not like he _wanted_ to go behind anyone's back, but the Gems had just been slightly...overbearing, as of late.

There was Pearl, humming downstairs, occasionally calling up to see how they were doing. Garnet, appearing mysteriously behind them just when they thought they had privacy. Or Amethyst, shape-shifting into either Steven or Connie and shooting mock-flirtatious looks before running off laughing. The Gems might not have been human, but they knew what was up. Sometimes Steven felt like his desire radiated off of him like something tangible. Heat. Sound. Color. This mixed rather unpleasantly with his strong urge to make sure Connie was always comfortable with where they were in their relationship.

Of course, they hadn't yet defined it aloud. Steven felt like they both knew what it was already, without saying. They were in tune like that. One day, she'd kissed him. It was just a quick peck on the cheek at first, but it felt like what he imagined whiskey tasted like; all fire and breathlessness and an instant rush to his head. He looked at her, dumbfounded. Connie was _blushing. _She hadn't been shy around him since they were kids, but-

And then she was gone, grinning, and he should have chased her, kissed her again, but Steven could only stand rooted in place. Touching that kiss-mark as if it had all been a dream. He'd been wanting to kiss her for ages now, and once again, Connie was braver than him. He watched her race down the steps from the balcony, feeling lighter than air. Space camp couldn't be over soon enough.

And when he'd seen her again, after what had come close to being the end of the world, he'd wrapped her in a hug-but it felt completely different from the way they'd hugged as friends, and they both knew it. It was slower, longer, sweeter, and tinged with something that took their breath. It heightened all of his senses in an almost animal way. Steven was almost painfully aware of how close Connie was to him at all times. Stars, and the way she smelled, how she breathed, every small noise she made from laughter to a sigh… He hadn't wanted to let Connie out of his sight.

After his duties repairing what he could of Beach City were done at the end of that impossibly long day, Connie had walked him home. His back had ached like the rusty edge of a knife, and his tongue sat dry and useless and his mouth. In the distance, bright, green patches of healed land could be seen stretching down the landscape. Through the pain and aches, it gave him a spark of hope. When they had arrived at his front door, a silence stretched between them. They both leaned against the porch railing, looking out at the polluted ocean. Silence wasn't unusual, but now it was like the air was charged. Even with Steven exhausted, his mind was abuzz when presented with the opportunity to just stare at her. Connie had looked right at home in her astronaut gear, but had since changed into a t-shirt and shorts to combat the summer temperatures. Her hair was up in a short, brisk ponytail, poofs of hair spilling free near the back of her neck. She looked gorgeous, and grown up, and sun-kissed, and wise.

And tired. Instantly guilt rushed through him; what right did he have to pull her from what she was doing in the first place? Then to ask her to stay? He could've done this on his own. He was always doing this to her. Summoning a breath, Steven opened his mouth, though he wasn't exactly sure what it was he wanted to say. He only knew that it should include an apology.

"Are you about to apologize to me?" Connie was smiling softly.

How did she know him _so_ well?

Steven tried not to blush. Too late. His ears were burning and he turned quickly away so she wouldn't see his face following suit.

"I, uh, no?"

Connie laughed, and Steven had to look back to see her face light up. It was second nature; even embarrassed and thrown off-guard, he laughed a little with her. He remembered what a shy, closed-up girl she'd been when they met. How sad she had been. And how beautiful it was to watch her slowly work past it, to become who she was. Becoming Connie's best friend was the best thing Steven had ever done.

"Oh, come on, Steven. You were going to say something about how you shouldn't have gotten me from space camp, you could have done this all on your own, this is all your fault. Right?"

Her fingers ticked off each point that had been made correctly. She moved in closer, still teasing with her smile. Their sides were touching now, hands nearly brushing on the railing. Without thinking too hard about it (he might've lost the courage if he had), Steven took one of her hands in his and lightly traced patterns on Connie's small, russet-toned hand. The callouses and scars formed little whorls for him to follow, but Connie's shaky inhale nearly wiped his ability to think.

"That's...probably what I was going to say, yeah."

This time, she didn't have a comeback for him. Connie was just as spellbound as he was. It was almost as if neither one of them would move again, if not for their desire to be even closer to one another than they already were. Steven hoped that she couldn't tell that he felt like he was about to pass out; breathing through his nose suddenly didn't feel like enough. Moving like they weren't his own, Steven saw his arms move around her waist. There was a high pitched buzzing in the back of his head, and the danger of blacking out seemed _very_ real now. Connie was peeking up at him in a way that was unlike her; a little anxious, a little shy, but way too gorgeous to be allowed. She let him envelop her.

"Steven…" Connie murmured, half a request, half a purr.

He took it as his cue. Tentatively, Steven leaned in. He remembered at the last minute that you were supposed to close your eyes for this sort of thing, but decided to keep his open. He didn't really want to be in the dark for a second of this. Their lips touched, soft and unsure but undoubtedly sweet. Steven felt her sigh on his lips as they broke away and looked up to see her reaction. Was it a good sigh? A bad sigh? A stop-touching-me-sigh? Steven's heart was thumping madly as he opened his mouth to ask. Before he could, she kissed him again.

Steven had been imagining the many ways they could have their first kiss, but now that it was happening, he wasn't thinking at all, except about how much he had wanted it. Well, that and the warning on side mirrors: _Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear_. Connie was far closer than he'd imagined he would ever be to her. Their lips collided again, and then again, a third time, a fourth….Still slowly, but with more intent and confidence.

His grip tightened around her, and Connie's arms came up around his neck to hold him tighter too. It brought their bodies flush with one another, and he couldn't help the muffled groan he made when they collided. She tasted _amazing_, like her hot cocoa lip balm and something distinctly _Connie, _and it occurred to Steven that he was incredibly hard through his jeans.

The realization was enough to give him pause. Reading his hesitation, Connie looked up at him. It pleased Steven to see that she seemed just as dazed as he felt; that this had an equally intoxicating effect on both of them.

"Wow," they said together. Realizing they'd spoken in tandem, Connie and Steven beamed. Sometimes, it felt like they were the same person even when they weren't. Stevonnie was the physical manifestation of their togetherness, but in reality, what they were never really went away.

"Now I _really _wish I didn't have to leave." Connie's face again reflected what Steven was feeling. Regret that this was coming to an end, wanting to keep going, and wonder at the amazing way something so simple could feel.

_You could stay, _Steven wanted to say. Right. Like _that _wouldn't cause suspicion. The Gems _might _allow it, with rules. But the Maheswarans? It was true that they had become a lot less strict, but that would just set off about a million red sirens. All of them wailing a resounding "no".

"When can you come back? Is space camp still going to be a thing?" He tried instead.

Connie shrugged, wriggling closer into his arms. God, it was like they'd been doing this their whole lives, not five minutes. Steven had zero objections as she nosed her way under the opening of his jacket, her breath touching his collarbone.

"Probably not. I feel guilty about bailing on it, but...it _was_ kind of important. End of the world business, you know. I'll pay them back the costs. As for coming back here again…"

Connie pulled away, and familiar mischief glinted in her dark brown eyes. "I don't know…"

Steven pretended to pout. It wasn't quite as false as he made it out to be. "Connie. Come on. _Please?"_

"Please what, Steven?" Her eyes had changed. Far gone was the look of shyness, hesitation, or even mischief. Written across her face was a daring, sultry look that he'd only ever seen in the farthest reaches of his imagination-and his brain once again lost the ability to function.

"Um. Please, come back and kiss me? I mean, no, come back so we can hang out again! I-"

Stars. He was a moron. Who had entrusted him with saving the galaxy and why?

"I see how it is." Connie laughed. "Steven, you're turning into such a _guy._"

After a few more minutes of teasing, promises to be back in Beach City as soon as she could, and one more long kiss goodbye, Connie whistled for Lion and disappeared. Steven watched the place where they'd vanished for several minutes, feeling the weight of the day slowly ebbing back into him. She'd just left, and he already missed her. Steven had felt that before, missing his best friend, but it was like getting poked with a spear tip in a particularly sore place now. Why did it feel like that?

He trudged inside the house, ready to collapse on his mattress for a solid and dreamless sleep. Steven had just hung up his jacket and mounted the first stair when he felt a hand drop on his shoulder. Repressing the urge to jump, Steven snapped around and saw that it was only Garnet.

"Hey, Garnet, what's going on?"

"Steven."

She was utterly expressionless, as was most often the case for someone so level-headed. "That pain you're feeling. I have something to tell you about it."

There was a long pause. Steven wasn't sure if she was actually going anywhere with this, or even what she was referring to.

"Uh-"

"It's love." Garnet's mouth twisted into a half-smile, and her hand buried deep in his curls before she turned away, headed to the warp. "Get some rest."


End file.
